DATE: Wednesday, September 10, 1997         TAG: 9709100517

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B12  EDITION: FINAL 
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS

DATELINE: WARRENTON, VA.                    LENGTH:   39 lines

KILLER GIVEN TWO LIFE SENTENCES FOR SLAYING 12-YEAR-OLD COUSIN

A jury spared David D. Matthews the death penalty, instead sentencing him to two life terms for tying his 12-year-old cousin to a tree and fatally shooting her in the mouth.

After 2 1/2 hours of deliberation, the Fauquier County Circuit Court jury on Monday gave Matthews, 34, one life sentence for murder and one for abduction and a $100,000 fine for each conviction.

The jury convicted Matthews Wednesday of killing Aleasha Jones.

Assistant State Medical Examiner Frances Field, who performed the autopsy, testified during the trial that the girl died of a gunshot wound to the head. She had also been stabbed and was probably sexually assaulted, Field said.

The girl's family left the sentencing hearing without making any comment. Matthews winked at his parents when he entered the courtroom, but he had no reaction to the verdicts.

Commonwealth's Attorney Jonathan Lynn said he was not disappointed with the sentence.

``We had a jury that was very conscientious,'' Lynn said. ``I knew they did not make their decision lightly.''

During the sentencing hearing that began Thursday, jurors heard about Matthews' criminal history: He served five years in prison after a 1989 manslaughter conviction in Fairfax County. In that case, he shot and killed a man during an argument at a party.

He received a 10-year sentence for the shooting, but was released on good behavior in 1994.

Aleasha disappeared on Sept. 25, 1995, after going for an off-road ride on her family's farm with Matthews in his Ford Bronco.

Her body was found the next morning, handcuffed to a tree.

Matthews was charged the next day. KEYWORDS: MURDER TRIAL SENTENCING

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